Over the millennia, the understanding about the nature of marriage in the Bible has changed considerably — and even included permission for couples to divorce and remarry in the time of Moses. But it was Jesus who brought the world the fully evolved truth about marriage, including its unbreakable bond — “What God has joined together, let no human separate.” Today, the Church continues to promote those long-standing — and now countercultural — truths about marriage, including that God created it to give couples unceasing joy and a foretaste of heaven that awaits them.

Deacon Lukasz Wnuk had a vision for St. Joseph’s Church here using his artistic interest and expertise to visually inspire the faithful to fully appreciate the truths of the Catholic faith. Father Tom Mangieri, St. Joseph’s pastor, recognized the interest and talents of his seminarian in residence, and fostered his vision and skills by allowing “Deacon Luke” free reign to design the decorations for the interior and exterior of the church with the help of parish staff and volunteers.

Bishop Serratelli began the new year of 2018 with a pastoral visit to St. Clare Parish in Clifton where he was the principal celebrant of the 10 a.m. Mass to mark the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

Through rallies, prayers and calls to lawmakers, pro-life activists are continuing to protect all life, especially those in the womb — as a voice for the voiceless. On Jan. 19, thousands of Catholics will be among those traveling to Washington, D.C. for the 45th annual March for Life to mark the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade which made abortion legal.

Fresh from his Dec. 2 to 9 mission trip to Nicaragua, Brian Honsberger opened up his Facebook page to find lots of love still bubbling more than 3,000 miles away from a Catholic community in the city of Matagalpa that he helped form in the faith through a series of talks. The assistant director of evangelization for the Paterson Diocese received about 75 “friend” requests on social media from this faith community — a testament to how much he touched their lives and how much they touched his in such a short time.

When Hurricane Harvey struck the Houston area with a record flooding rainfall last August, many houses of worship, like thousands of homes, suffered significant damage. But while the homeowners applied for help to rebuild when the floodwaters receded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), houses of worship were denied any aid.

Parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John in Paterson were filled with joy to celebrate their first Christmas in the newly renovated cathedral Dec. 24 with the celebration of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. Bishop Serratelli was main celebrant of the Mass with Msgr. Mark Giordani, rector, as concelebrant.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Straight & Narrow, an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities in Paterson, for a prayer service — an annual tradition he leads every Advent season just before Christmas.

Last summer, St. Joseph Parish in West Milford devised a challenge to its parishioners: become more “mindful” — conscious or aware of the needs of other people — by engaging in specific acts of kindness that it proposed each week. Over these past few weeks, the rural Passaic County faith community broadened its scope of mindfulness parish-wide as many of its faithful contributed generously to help defray the mounting medical costs of a local 19-year-old, who suffers from a rare and debilitating disease.

Across the Diocese, clergy, religious and laity are gearing up for the 45th annual March for Life to be held Friday, Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C. There, they will join tens of thousands of pro-life advocates from across the country in the nation’s capital for the world’s largest pro-life event.

Imagine not being able to celebrate Christmas, the Birth of Jesus Christ, or be able to attend Mass on Christmas Day. But that’s exactly how it was for Christian worshippers in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul since 2014 when ISIS overran the city and Christians were not able to celebrate any of Christianity’s holy days.